06-17-2004, 08:39 PM
Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 12:00 AM |
As wildfire season starts, officials urge common sense
Doug Alden THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY -- With the hottest, driest stretch of summer ahead, state fire officials want people to think more about wildfire prevention.
Using common sense, they said Wednesday, means not starting a campfire beneath a tree or in a dry, brushy area, not leaving campfires burning unattended and being careful with fireworks when celebrating the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day.
State fire marshal Gary Wise, Gov. Olene Walker and officials from the Utah Interagency Fire Information Center used a news conference to urge residents to use fire with caution.
"We're living in a desert, but we're living in a desert that's had a six-year drought," Walker said. "We simply have to educate people not to be careless."
Utah had more than 1,600 wildfires last year, 91 of which consumed at least 1,000 acres. While most of the fires started naturally, many were caused by humans.
A fire in Farmington Canyon last summer that burned more than 1,900 acres was blamed on a man who has been ruled unfit to stand trial for arson because of a mental disability. That was one of 311 human-caused fires, said Laura Williams, a Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman.
"People can do a lot to prevent unwanted, human-caused fires," Williams said. "Thinking their actions through ahead of time is going to save us acres and acres of scorched land."
Campfires or discarded cigarettes can spark a fire that could burn for days or weeks. The fire center also released some causes people may not consider -- a tow chain dragging and creating sparks or a catalytic converter hot enough to ignite dry vegetation.
Storm lightning sparked numerous small fires Tuesday in southwestern Utah, and about 640 acres near the Shivwits Indian Reservation had burned by Wednesday. Southern Utah hasn't received as much moisture as the north and is more vulnerable.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C4.
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As wildfire season starts, officials urge common sense
Doug Alden THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY -- With the hottest, driest stretch of summer ahead, state fire officials want people to think more about wildfire prevention.
Using common sense, they said Wednesday, means not starting a campfire beneath a tree or in a dry, brushy area, not leaving campfires burning unattended and being careful with fireworks when celebrating the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day.
State fire marshal Gary Wise, Gov. Olene Walker and officials from the Utah Interagency Fire Information Center used a news conference to urge residents to use fire with caution.
"We're living in a desert, but we're living in a desert that's had a six-year drought," Walker said. "We simply have to educate people not to be careless."
Utah had more than 1,600 wildfires last year, 91 of which consumed at least 1,000 acres. While most of the fires started naturally, many were caused by humans.
A fire in Farmington Canyon last summer that burned more than 1,900 acres was blamed on a man who has been ruled unfit to stand trial for arson because of a mental disability. That was one of 311 human-caused fires, said Laura Williams, a Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman.
"People can do a lot to prevent unwanted, human-caused fires," Williams said. "Thinking their actions through ahead of time is going to save us acres and acres of scorched land."
Campfires or discarded cigarettes can spark a fire that could burn for days or weeks. The fire center also released some causes people may not consider -- a tow chain dragging and creating sparks or a catalytic converter hot enough to ignite dry vegetation.
Storm lightning sparked numerous small fires Tuesday in southwestern Utah, and about 640 acres near the Shivwits Indian Reservation had burned by Wednesday. Southern Utah hasn't received as much moisture as the north and is more vulnerable.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C4.
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